Animal Representation on UK Children’s Television

It is widely accepted that television is a powerful medium and that its influence, particularly on children and young people, can be profound (see for example Canadian Paediatric Society 2003; Strasburger 2004; Matyjas 2015). The representation and categorisation of non-humans in such content may therefore influence a culture’s attitudes towards those species and, by extension, its children’s views. This article investigates animal characters on three hundred and fourteen children’s TV shows across five days of ‘free’ to view UK programming during summer 2020, and is the first study in over twenty-five years (since Elizabeth Paul’s in 1996) to focus specifically on mainstream children’s TV, and the only one to have sole regard for pre- and early primary-age UK viewers. With research clear that the media is so influential, recognising the role of such culture transmission is vital to ‘undo’ unhelpful assumptions about animals that result in their exploitation, and change future norms (Joy 2009). Television media either ignores or misrepresents the subjective reality of many (particularly food) species, but with children preferring anthropomorphised animals to most others (Geerdts, Van de Walle and LoBue 2016), this carries implications in terms of responsibility for our ideas and subsequent treatment of those non-humans in everyday life.

Urban nature at the fingertips: Investigating wild food foraging to enable nature interactions of urban dwellers

Meaningful human–nature interactions can counteract the extinction of experience and positively influence people’s nature relatedness, health and wellbeing. In this study, we explored urban wild food foraging to understand how best to enable human-nature interactions in cities by means of foraging. Using a structured questionnaire, a total of 458 residents of Vienna, Austria were surveyed. Sixty-four percent of visitors of public urban green spaces previously foraged for wild food species, whereas foraging frequencies were related to the targeted plant species and their life forms. People who foraged more frequently had greater nature relatedness, more childhood foraging experiences and lived on the outskirts of the city, but their socio-demographic backgrounds were heterogeneous. Social acceptance and lack of access to wild foods were perceived to be barriers. To promote nature relatedness through urban foraging, the legal framework, access to low-contamination foraging areas, availability of wild foods and social acceptance need to be improved.

Foods from the wild: Local knowledge, use pattern and distribution in Western Nepal

Locally harvested wild edible plants (WEPs) provide food as well as cash income for indigenous peoples and local communities, and they are of great importance in ensuring local food security. However, their uses and availability are poorly documented. This study aimed to enumerate WEP diversity and status of WEPs in a part of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Sikles region, where the population is dominated by the Gurung community. Ethnobotanical data were collected using guided field walks, semi-structured interviews, and field observation. The informant consensus method was employed and group discussions were conducted for triangulation of the information. Free listing and identification tests were performed to assess the knowledge of the informants. Both descriptive statistics and quantitative ethnobotanical methods were used for data analysis. A total of 72 wild food species belonging to 46 families and 61 genera were reported from the study area. Asparagaceae and Rosaceae were the dominant families, and herbs were the dominant life form. Fruits (34 species) were the most frequently used plant parts, followed by young shoots (16 species). Most edible plants were consumed in summer and during rainy seasons. While the age and type of informants had an influence on the number of enumerated plants, gender did not. Key informants and people aged 30–45 reported more species than other groups of respondents. Most of the knowledge about the use of WEPs was acquired from parents and relatives. The consumption of these plants was attributed to diversifying cuisine, spicing staple food, nutri-medicinal values, and cultural practices. People perceived the availability of WEPs to be gradually decreasing. However, WEPs are still abundant and diverse in the study area, and knowledge on their use is well-preserved. These resources provide food and nutrients to local people and can also be a source of cash income. Therefore, the documented information on WEPs may serve as baseline data for further studies on nutritional values and provide guidelines for safe collection. The results also revealed that many wild species are under growing pressure from various anthropogenic factors, suggesting effective community engagement is required for their conservation.

Ecology of the Anthropocene signals hope for consciously managing the planetary ecosystem

Human populations have grown to such an extent that our species has become a dominant force on the planet, prompting geologists to begin applying the term Anthropocene to recognize the present moment. Many approaches seek to explain the past and future of human population growth, in the form of narratives and models. Some of the most influential models have parameters that cannot be precisely known but are estimated by expert opinion. Here we apply a unified model of ecology to provide a macroscale summary of the net effects of many microscale processes, using a minimal set of parameters that can be known. Our models match estimates of historic and prehistoric global human population numbers and provide predictions that correspond to some of the more complicated current models. In addition to fitting the data well they reveal that, amidst enormous complexity in our human and prehuman past, three key ecological discontinuities have occurred in turn: 1) becoming dominant competitors of large predators rather than their prey, 2) becoming mutualists with food species rather than acting as predators upon them, and 3) changing from a regime of uncontrolled population growth to one of controlled fertility instead. All three processes have been interlinked with cultural evolution and all three ushered in developments of the Anthropocene. Understanding the trajectories that have delivered us to this stage can help guide prudent paths into the future.

Food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome: Current practices in oral food challenge

Background: Oral food challenges (OFC) in food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) are performed to confirm a diagnosis, test for development of tolerance, and find safe alternatives. Objective: We aimed to define OFC outcomes and identify safer test strategies. Methods: OFCs performed in children with FPIES over a 5-year period were reviewed. Results: A total of 160 OFCs were performed in 59 children (median age, 2.3 years). The most commonly tested foods were hen's egg, fish, and cow's milk. Sixty-six OFC results (41.3%) were positive. Twelve (18.2%) reactions were mild, 18 (27.3%) were moderate, and 36 (54.5%) were severe. Intravenous fluid, ondansetron, and corticosteroids were administered in 83.3, 72.7, and 66.7% of the patients, respectively; one patient required hospitalization. A reaction was most likely with fish (odds ratio [OR] 2.878 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.279‐6.473]; p = 0.011), and least likely with cow's milk (OR 0.268 [95% CI, 0.082‐0.872]; p = 0.029). Of the 36 OFCs with egg yolk, 23 patients had a failed OFC, and of the 17 OFCs with egg white (all tolerant to egg yolk), only 2 patients had a failed result. Interestingly, two patients tolerated baked whole egg but not egg yolk. In cow's milk FPIES, two patients could consume fermented milk but not fresh milk. Of the 11 patients with anchovy-triggered FPIES, 6 tolerated sea bass, and 5 tolerated trout, whereas 4 patients with sea bass FPIES tolerated trout. Conclusion: The search for alternative food species, processing, or subdivision of a trigger food is common practice in FPIES, which reflects the expectations of children and their families. The experience gained can be put into practice and will contribute to the understanding of the disease mechanism.

Documentation of Wild Edible Leafy Vegetable Traditionally Used By Tribal and Rural Communities of North Maharashtra, India

Number of wild edible plants is commonly used in the traditional diets of tribal people in many parts of the world. North Maharashtra is well known for its tribal region and tribes from this region partially or fully dependent on the wild resources for their nutritional requirements. The present study was designed to document specifically the wild leafy vegetables from North Maharashtra. A total of 62 traditionally used wild leafy vegetable species were collected, identified and documented. Out of 62 species, 61 species belongs to Angiosperms and 1 belong to pteridophyte. With respect to families Amaranthaceae, Araceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae were found to be the largest families with 29 species. Herbs are the major source of wild leafy vegetables with 43 species and forest is the home for the majority of wild leafy vegetables. Due to less awareness, loss of vegetation and fast erosion of traditional knowledge many species are on the line of rarity. The study helps to conserve those wild food species and cultivate them on large scales, to uplift their economical status and sustainable management in near future.

Mites of the family Winterschmidtiidae (Acari: Sarcoptiformes: Astigmatina) from agricultural habitats in Brazil, with description of a new species and a key to species reported

The family Winterschmidtiidae is subdivided into four subfamilies; representatives of two are associated with insects and those of other two commonly inhabit decaying materials, fungi, plant leaves, vertebrate nests and stored food. Species of this family are frequently collected during surveys of arboreal acarofauna in Brazil, but in most cases, they are identified up to the generic level. The present work reports winterschmidtiid species collected in agricultural environments in Brazil: a new species, Oulenziella longiseta sp.nov., and four previously known species, Acalvolia squamata (Oudemans), Oulenzia arboricola (Oudemans), Oulenziella bakeri (Hughes) and Czenspinskia transversostriata (Oudemans). Among these, A. squamata, O. arboricola and O. bakeri are new records for Brazil.

Plant Species of Sub-Family Valerianaceae—A Review on Its Effect on the Central Nervous System

Valerianaceae, the sub-family of Caprifoliaceae, contains more than 300 species of annual and perennial herbs, worldwide distributed. Several species are used for their biological properties while some are used as food. Species from the genus Valeriana have been used for their antispasmodic, relaxing, and sedative properties, which have been mainly attributed to the presence of valepotriates, borneol derivatives, and isovalerenic acid. Among this genus, the most common and employed species is Valerianaofficinalis. Although valerian has been traditionally used as a mild sedative, research results are still controversial regarding the role of the different active compounds, the herbal preparations, and the dosage used. The present review is designed to summarize and critically describe the current knowledge on the different plant species belonging to Valerianaceae, their phytochemicals, their uses in the treatment of different diseases with particular emphasis on the effects on the central nervous system. The available information on this sub-family was collected from scientific databases up until year 2020. The following electronic databases were used: PubMed, Scopus, Sci Finder, Web of Science, Science Direct, NCBI, and Google Scholar. The search terms used for this review included Valerianaceae, Valeriana, Centranthus, Fedia, Patrinia, Nardostachys, Plectritis, and Valerianella, phytochemical composition, in vivo studies, Central Nervous System, neuroprotective, antidepressant, antinociceptive, anxiolytic, anxiety, preclinical and clinical studies.

Assessment of biodiversity goods for the sustainable development of the chagra in an indigenous community of the Colombian Amazon: local values of crops

Background The chagra is the agroforestry system adapted to the characteristics of the Amazon region. Recently, there has been a reported loss of biodiversity and traditional knowledge associated with the chagras. This paper characterizes the cultivators, exploring knowledge and expressed value perception in the context of the Amazonian chagra of an indigenous community; also, this prioritizes species, under the optics of commercial opportunity. Methods A semi-structured instrument was applied to 14 volunteers, asking about marketing preferences and use values of the species; later, a floristic inventory and prioritization workshop was developed. Results Sixty-two percent of the participants were 50 years or older at the time of the interview. Open conversations showed that traditional knowledge is a matter of practice; and is maintained mainly by the older "grandfathers". Thirty-eight species, belonging to 28 different families, were reported, showing considerable diversity. Seventy-nine percent of the participants consider the Leticia market and sales to tourists as the main marketing scenarios. Conclusions The Ziora-Amena community centralizes the handling of chagras in the community's older adults, who transmit their traditional knowledge to new generations through oral tradition. Indicators of preference, use, and abundance highlight the food species. The perception of the trade stakeholder encourages research and development of endemic species, with health properties or ingredients for industry, which represent an opportunity of high added value for the region.

NON-WOOD RESOURCES OF ABOVE GROUND COVER IN GRASSY PLANTINGS OF THE SOUTH URAL TAIGA ZONE

Представлены результаты изучения ресурсов хозяйственно-ценных растений живого напочвенного покрова сосновых и берёзовых насаждений Южно-Уральской таёжной зоны Свердловской области. В качестве основного показателя для характеристики запасов была выбрана надземная фитомасса в аб- солютно сухом состоянии. Данные были получены на 28 пробных площадях в пяти наиболее распространённых в районе исследования типах леса. Для размещения пробных площадей подбирались наиболее типичные для района исследования насаждения различного возраста, происхождения, состава древостоя, относительной полноты и других таксационных показателей. Хозяйственно-ценные растения пред- ставлены ягодными, лекарственными, кормовыми и медоносными, а также растениями, содержащими дубильные красильные и эфиромасличные вещества. В березняках надземная фитомасса хозяйственно ценных растений варьирует от 10,1 до 1019,7 кг/га в абсолютно сухом состоянии. В сосняках данный показатель значительно ниже и составляет от 1,1 до 73,4 кг/га. Размещение ресурсов хозяйственно-ценных растений по территории неравномерно даже в пределах одного типа леса. Основной причиной являются отличия в таксационных показателях насаждений. Установлена корреляционная зависимость между надземной фитомассой полезных растений живого напочвенного покрова и относительной полнотой древостоя. Также существует тенденция увеличения запасов полезных растений с повышением возраста насаждений. В целом в живом напочвенном покрове березняков сосредоточены большие запасы кормовых растений, медоносов, а также значительна фитомасса лекарственных и пищевых видов. С точки зрения заготовки недревесной продукции живой напочвенный покров сосняков не представляет интереса из-за низкой фитомассы хозяйственно ценных растений. The article presents the results of studying resources of economically valuable plants of the above ground cover of pine and birch plantations in the South Ural taiga zone of the Sverdlovsk region. The aboveground phytomass in a completely dry state is used as the main indicator for the stock characteristics. Data were obtained on 28 sample areas in the fi ve most common forest types in the study area. Plantings of various ages, origin, stand composition, relative completeness, and other taxational indicators were selected to accommodate the sample areas. Economically valuable plants are represented by berry, medicinal, forage and honey-bearing species, as well as plants containing tannic dyes and essential oils. In birch forests, the aboveground phytomass of economically valuable plants ranges from 10.1 to 1019.7 kg/ha in a completely dry state. In pine forests, this indicator is much lower and varies from 1.1 to 73.4 kg/ha. The distribution of resources of economically valuable plants across the territory is uneven, even within the same type of forest. The main reason is the differences in the taxation indicators of plantings. A correlation was established between the aboveground phytomass of useful plants of the living ground cover and the relative fullness of the stand. There is also a tendency to increase the stocks of useful plants with increasing age of plantings. In general, in the living ground cover of birch forests, large stocks of forage plants are concentrated, and the phytomass of medicinal and food species, as well as honey plants, is also signifi cant. From the point of view of harvesting non-wood products, the living ground cover of pine forests is not of interest, due to the low phytomass of economically valuable plants.